SHOULDERING THE FOOTBALL LOAD INJURY FORCES STITT TO TRY LIFE AT CAL LUTHERAN, AND HE THRIVES.

Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Staff Writer

It's funny how things work out. Dorian Stitt wasn't even supposed to be at Cal Lutheran University, let alone play football with the Kingsmen. When he left Royal High in 1996 for St. Mary's College, he fulfilled a lifelong dream of playing at a Division I school. Cal Lutheran was a distant second option.

Now, five years later - three of them as the starting running back at Cal Lutheran - Stitt enters his senior year with the Kingsmen as one of the most decorated players on the team.

Stitt never realized the dream of playing at a D-I school, and even though he was skeptical of Division III before coming to Cal Lutheran, he realizes now this is where he's meant to be.

``It's been a great experience,'' Stitt said. ``When I was in high school all I ever thought about was Division I, Division I. But the thing is, at Division III they play just as hard, they care just as much and they want to win just as bad. The players might be smaller, and most of us won't be going on to the NFL or anything, but the heart is just as big.''

It's ironic that Stitt has been such a constant for the Kingsmen the last few years considering the uncertain start to his college career. Stitt was a baseball/football standout at Royal and went to St. Mary's to play both. But an old shoulder injury he suffered playing football at Royal changed all that.

The true extent of the injury went undiagnosed for nearly two years, a frustrating situation for Stitt and his father, a chiropracter who has worked on Dorian and his teammates over the years. All Stitt knew was that it hurt to throw a baseball, even though two MRI tests revealed no damage, and that his shoulder kept popping out of its socket when it got hit in football action.

It finally got to be too much during football practice at St. Mary's during his freshmen year, so Stitt returned home to seek help.

``It was tough,'' said Dr. Randall Stitt, Dorian's father. ``I make a living fixing people and I couldn't even fix my own son.''

An arthroscopic examination by Dr. Frank Jobe revealed damae to Stitt's shoulder labrum. In a way the news was welcomed - at least Stitt knew. The subsequent surgery fixed the injury, although Stitt never regained the arm-throwing strength he had before getting hurt.

``He used to have a gun for an arm,'' his father said.

Stitt tried playing baseball at Cal Lutheran as a sophomore and junior, but he finally gave it up to concentrate on football when it became obvious he couldn't play to the level he once had.

``When you've done it at one level for so long and you know what you're capable of doing, it's tough to settle for anything less than that,'' Stitt said. ``It was pretty depressing.''

Fortunately, there was football. Stitt debated whether to play, but a talk with Cal Luthern coach Scott Squires and some assistant coaches convinced him to try.

When the Kingsmen broke training camp in 1997 and Stitt was listed eighth on the running back's depth chart, he thought about quitting.

``My dad talked me out of it and coach Squires talked to me, which totally impressed me, and he promised to get me on all the special teams,'' Stitt said. ``If it wasn't for coach Squires, I don't know what would have happened. The reason I stayed was because of him.''

It was a fateful decision. Cal Lutheran running back Fredrik Nanhed suffered a serious injury just before the regular season, pushing Stitt up the depth chart. As it turns out, he started his first game with the Kingsmen and he's been a mainstay ever since.

``It's pretty interesting how it all worked out,'' said Stitt, who needs 1,114 yards to become CLU's all-time career rusher and 460 to break the career multipurpose yard mark.

Like his father, Stitt will become a chiropractor after school. His goal is to stay in the area and open an office, especially after seeing how his father helped him stay healthy over the years.

``It's something I've wanted to do ever since I was a little kid,'' Stitt said. ``It's what I've always wanted to do.''

For now, though, he's concentrating on the upcoming season. The goal is to help Cal Lutheran finish with a winning record, perhaps even qualify for the playoffs. This being his senior year, Stitt wants it to be special.

``When I was a senior at Royal, we finished 4-7, and going through something like that, it's tough and it's no fun,'' Stitt said. ``That's why it's so important that we do well this year.''

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(color in Simi edition only) Dorian Stitt came to Cal Lutheran from St. Mary's. He now is 1,113 yards from the school's rushing record.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer